(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packing container for retaining plant freshness to be used in the transport of fresh cut flowers and fresh cut plants.
(2) State of the Prior Art
Until now, fresh flowers and fresh cut plants (hereinafter generically referred to as just "cut flowers") have been transported in a packed state in packages or containers while being transported domestically or imported and exported between Japan and other countries. However, because of the delicate nature of cut flowers, usually the cut flowers are packed together with large amounts of randomly placed waste paper filler for retaining the shape and humidity of the flowers. The flowers are buried in the waste paper filler after which water is sprayed from above until the contents are sufficiently moist. Alternatively, when moisture is particularly important, devices known as water-caps are used to cover the cut portion of the flower stems.
The above-described known packing methods have several drawbacks. For example, these methods can cause flowers buried in the waste paper filling to become pressed together, bruised, scraped or broken, and they often will have bits of the waste paper attached when removed from the packing. Moreover, although the paper filler functions as a protective buffer, adding sufficient water to maintain the necessary humidity results in the package becoming extremely heavy and unwieldy, requiring the packing container to be reinforced.
Further, the existing packing methods require that part of the paper filling be removed in order to confirm the contents and condition of the flowers during transport, and this handling of the packing material can cause the flowers to become bruised. This presents a major problem in the case of importation of flowers from abroad, where plant quarantine regulations require customs to visually inspect the flowers.